crystal.

[biggame]

FORM: Crystal
SENDER: Xiomara
RECIPIENT: Everybody
NOTES: Threadjacking approved and encouraged

Hey, if we cut an eluvian in half, will it still work? Because imagine. If we could strap one to a griffon, we could be anywhere, and only one person would have to do the traveling. Or we could strap one to the bottom of a griffon and fly low over a battlefield or a lake and people could jump through without the griffon even needing to land—

[ Or maybe that's just her personal paratrooper fantasy, parachute part PENDING, RESEARCH. ]

I think we could be thinking bigger here. Or smaller. But in a big way.

Comments

[elegiaque]

We should put an eluvian in the airship, when we have an airship—

[biggame]

As future captain of the airship, [ until Loxley wins this competition or until she discovers airsickness, whichever happens first, ] I approve.

[elegiaque]

( despite obvious bias in loxley's favour, it's really hard to argue with someone who's just said they'd totally do your cool idea. he would probably also do her cool idea, but since he isn't here saying so, )

We could be sending griffons out from anywhere, without having to transport them by the airship in the first place.

[biggame]

If we moved the right eluvians face to face in the Crossroads whenever we knew we needed them, they could go right through without the uncomfortable—

[ for them and for other people, not her, sorry about the human blood ]

—middle piece.

[elegiaque]

( 1 star on tripadvisor )

I like the way you think.

[biggame]

The way we think. You ever thought of being a treasure hunter?

[elegiaque]

( with audible surprise, but— )

...yes, actually. I feel like I've gained some relevant experience in the past few years. That's your background?

[biggame]

More or less. I guess more, not less. That's most of the work. But I like the hunting better. We take bounties for monsters, or nuisance animals people believe are monsters. But we're not the Lords of Monsters—

that would be great, though. Maybe I should my own guild.

[elegiaque]

I've heard much worse pitches for what about when all this is over, then. 'Lords of Monsters'.

( it's got a certain ring to it, doesn't it? there's an unmistakable appeal. it has swagger. )

And there's fortune in that, certainly. I've given serious consideration to piracy, but I don't know if full time hunting ship life is for me. I like my boat.

[biggame]

You should. It's very cool. You could always build a bigger ship around it...

But you should think about it. Even if Lords of Monsters doesn't get off the ground, the Lords of Fortune take all kinds. Even Orlesians.

[elegiaque]

I have considered, if Viktor and Research get the airship off the ground, or Poppell de Fonce comes back and does it, hypothetically, how hard would it be to make my boat an airship—

( viktor are your ears burning. )

Which could be very useful, Lord of Fortune or Lord of Monsters.

( with the sort of real interest from someone who is definitely considering this— ) How did you come to it?

[grindset]

[Viktor and Research—like they're a band or something—]

Not very hard. Hypothetically speaking.

[elegiaque]

( she'll do guest tambourine, it'll be so cool— )

We're going to have to explore that idea one of these days.

[portalling]

( He doesn’t usually pipe up for these sorts of conversations, but this part makes him recordscratch. )

‘Convert the houseboat into an airship’ is a pretty big renovation —

( What if he gets airsick all the time!! )

[biggame]

Boooo.

[ Faintly. Carry on with the domestic discussion; she's just registering disapproval of this unseemly practicality in the background. ]

[elegiaque]

Think how much easier it would be to relocate when we need to—

[portalling]

It’s already movable.

[laruetheday]

Abby will never come over again if there's a chance your house is going to take flight while she's in it.

[elegiaque]

What do I have friends for if you aren't going to be on my side, ( has the air of someone flinging herself face-down into a bed, dramatically.

it is only five percent serious, but also, why do none of you want her to be happy???? )

[laruetheday]

[ oh stop being dramatic ]

I'm on your side, but I'm on her side more. [ And she is probably wigging out about the eluvian thing already, so. ]

[biggame]

My village hired one when I was a kid. There was a dragon—it killed a lot of people. It got my brother. So we hired Gravial, and he was amazing, and he told me to come find him when I was older if I wanted a job. I don't think he thought I'd do it.

[elegiaque]

I'm guessing he learned not to underestimate you, after that.

[biggame]

Maybe. After that he got to watch me make all my rookie mistakes, so...

[ He was great. She misses him. ]

Anyway, it's a proper guild. There are dues and rules and things. They only let you use their name once you've shown someone you can do the work. But they don't cheat people—that's the thing, right? That's why we could trust him to deal with us fairly. It's not as heroic as going around defending people from dragons from the goodness of your heart or recovering old relics for the joy of learning. [ gross, but shoutout to Evelyn or whatever ] But if you want to do that and you need to eat, it's the absolute best.

[elegiaque]

I've been thinking that once this is all over, I'll need— you know, an occupation. Bring in money and be occupied, when there's not so much of an obvious—

( the vague gesture she might make here is sort of implied. you know, the everything. )

You're a lot more persuasive than the average go on, it's heroic pitch for going around doing things out of the goodness of your heart and all.

( she makes it sound fun, which is compelling. )

[biggame]

Hardly need to be. The job sells itself.

If I scrounge up some contracts while I'm here, maybe you can come along. Then you'll have the proving you can do it to someone you can vouch for you covered already.

Unless I die, I guess. Maybe I could write you a letter.